Authentication system for gaming machines

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a system and method that uses digital signature technology to authenticate the contents of one or more manifests located on a storage device. Each manifest contains a list of file records, where each record contains the name of a file stored on the storage device, and a signature value derived from the contents of the file. At boot time, the gaming machine first authenticates the contents of the manifest and then authenticates the contents of the files using the signature value stored in the manifest. Files are verified using the signature, as they are needed, during the boot up of the operating system and throughout normal operation. This method reduces the boot time of the gaming machine and eliminates the need to check digital signatures for each individual file or over the entire contents of a non-secure media. 
     Similarly, a method of adding authentication ability to legacy software components without necessarily altering the legacy software components is disclosed. Introduction of a stronger authentication algorithm, or when a private key has been compromised would normally require the software component to be re-built to support the new algorithm or private/public key pair; however, a method is disclosed where algorithms and key pairs may be changed and applied to legacy software without having to re-built, re-test, re-sign, or re-submit the component to regulatory agencies for approval. Also disclosed is a system and method of establishing a trusted environment containing a gaming operating system and associated authentication module, file system drivers, and/or network drivers that may be used to in the process of authenticating contents of one or more manifests located on a storage device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.11/423,370, entitled IMPROVED AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM FOR GAMING MACHINES,filed Jun. 9, 2006, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 10/794,760, entitled GAMING SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE WITH MULTIPLEPROCESSES AND MEDIA STORAGE, filed Mar. 5, 2004, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/452,407, entitledGAMING BOARD SET AND GAMING KERNEL FOR GAME CABINETS, filed Mar. 5,2003, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication, Ser. No. 60/885,046, entitled GAMING DEVICE WITH ANEMBEDDED TRUSTED OPERATING SYSTEM AND METHOD, filed Jan. 16, 2007, whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

An improved authentication system for gaming machines is provided.Specifically, provided is a system and method for verifying andauthenticating components of a computerized device, such as a gamingmachine or other electronic device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In previous systems, authentication of content on read/write media ornon-secured media storage involves calculating a hash value over thedata contents and then using the hash value in conjunction with adigital signature and public key to verify that the data contents areauthentic.

Typically there is a secure memory, or read only sealed memory, such asan EPROM which contains the authentication algorithm. Additionally thereis non-secure media that contains the content to be authenticated. Thesecure memory can be removed and independently verified andauthenticated with external devices; however data in non-secure devicecannot be easily removed, thus verification and authentication is moredifficult. Therefore, it is desirable to have a program that is runningfrom the secure memory authenticate the contents of the non-securedevice.

The authentication methods usually involve calculating a hash value overthe entire contents of non-secure media, or major portions thereof, atboot time. The problem with this method is that it takes a considerableamount of processing time to calculate a hash value over the entirecontents of the non-secure media, especially if it is a hard drive,CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM that contains a large amount of data. This results inconsiderably longer boot times for gaming machines and other devicesthat require verification and authentication. For example, some boottimes are as long as ten minutes or more. As gaming machines and otherdevices become more sophisticated, the storage requirements for thenon-secure media is growing, resulting in even longer durations for boottime authentication.

Moreover, in many gaming jurisdictions, there are regulatoryrequirements that mandate that authentication of a system be performedby a program running from the non-secure media. For gaming machinesbased on personal computer (PC) architecture, this typically means thatthe BIOS must reside on the EPROM and the authentication code executedfrom the BIOS EPROM. This puts a further limitation on gaming machinesbecause authentication code executing from the BIOS EPROM may not run asquickly as code executing from the faster PC-based RAM.

An alternative to the above method is to have the BIOS authenticate theoperating system only, load the operating system, and then have theoperating system authenticate the remainder of the non-secure media.However, this method still increases the boot time because the entirecontent of the non-secure media is authenticated by the operating systemat boot time.

Additionally, regulatory gaming jurisdictions require that the contentsof the non-secure media, and contents of programs executing fromvolatile memory, be checked on a periodic basis, or whenever significantevents occur. For example, when a main door closes, the gaming machinemust make sure that all code executing from RAM is authentic and thatsuch code has not been modified. Some gaming machines have handled thisrequirement by re-authenticating the programs on the non-secure mediaand reloading them into RAM for execution. These requirements furthercontribute to significant delays that occur due to complying withauthentication regulations.

An added concern is creating an authentication methodology that can beused on one or more memory devices, where the methodology usedaccommodates memory devices that were created without ‘native’ supportof the authentication algorithms. The application of this allows use,for example, of legacy game memory devices that were previouslydeveloped, tested, and approved by gaming regulators. This methodologywould allow legacy memory devices that had already been approved byregulatory gaming jurisdictions to be authenticated using any algorithmsupported by the gaming device. The legacy game memory devices can beeither secure media (non-alterable) or non-secure media (alterable). Thealternative would be to re-sign the legacy memory device and submit forregulatory testing and approval, which can be costly in terms of timeand money.

Furthermore, it is possible to download data from a central host on thenetwork to the non-secure media. It is desirable to have the ability todownload individual files or groups of files to change the capabilitiesof the gaming machine. This may involve downloading a new game for useby the player or downloading some enhancement to the operating systemfiles. Nevertheless, if there is just one digital signature for theentire contents of the non-secure media device, then updating smallportions of the contents through downloading becomes more difficultbecause the host must also download the new digital signature. Thismeans the host needs to re-sign the contents prior to download. Such aprocess has its drawbacks because the host may not be secure if it is ina casino location and not controlled by the gaming manufacturer thatproduced the code.

Accordingly, those skilled in the art have long recognized the need fora system and method to download individual files or groups of files, andto have each file or group of files independently authenticated from therest of the files on the non-secure media on an “as-needed” basis. Thisinvention clearly addresses these and other needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one preferred embodiment, a means of quickly authenticatingthe contents of one or more manifests located on a writeable mediadevice is disclosed. Upon power up, the gaming device authenticates itsoperating system that is stored on secure media. The authentication ofthe operating system is beneficial to assure that it has not beencorrupted on the secure media. The operating system is loaded into RAMfrom an implicitly trusted device. Once the contents of one or moremanifests are authenticated, the content is trusted and available foruse by the gaming device.

In a preferred embodiment, the Pintsov Vanstone Signature Scheme withpartial message Recovery (PVSSR) algorithm provides a computationallyefficient means of authenticating manifests and the containedcomponents. A manifest is digitally signed with a PVSSR signature,calculated with a private key across the manifest data; authenticationis performed when a public key is used to evaluate the signature overthe manifest data. The use of private key and the intrinsic nature ofthe PVSSR algorithm assure that only the owner of the private key cansign the manifest data and result in successful authentication with thepublic key. The manifest contains records that correspond to componentsthat can be authenticated. A component can be, but not limited to, ablock of data, a file, a sector on a hard drive, or a partition of ahard drive. Each record in the manifest joins a component with acorresponding PVSSR signature for the component data.

An alternate embodiment can substitute a hash value for the PVSSRsignature in the component record. This method provides a measure oftrust that the component's signature value as measure of authenticationbecause the manifest data is signed with a PVSSR signature, which isauthenticated before the signature values are used.

One embodiment authenticates all manifests, and then proceeds toauthenticate the components referenced within each manifest. This methodresults in bulk authentication of all of the components with themanifests before any of the components may be used.

According to another preferred embodiment, the components areauthenticated on an as-needed basis, allowing for quicker boot timesbecause only the components that are loaded are authenticated. Thisresults in quicker system loading times, and through definition of themanifest components, better control over what components areauthenticated and when such components are authenticated.

Several methods of organizing the components are available. In oneembodiment, a component is authenticated as or within partitions on thehard disk device. For example, in one preferred embodiment, the harddisk device contains multiple partitions containing, for example, theLinux operating system, gaming libraries and executables, and multiplegames with each game being placed within a separate partition. Duringboot up, the manifest for the partitions is authenticated using PVSSRalgorithm, and then each partition is authenticated when it is mountedor loaded by the operating system. Such authentication is performed bycalculating the signature over the partition as it is mounted, andcomparing it to the signature located within the manifest file. Thisallows the operating system to boot quickly because just the operatingsystem is authenticated prior to loading the operating system. Then thelibraries are authenticated and loaded. Only the games that are activeneed to have their respective partitions authenticated and loaded,although, optionally, several game files can be loaded at once foranticipated play. For example, and not by way of limitation, if a harddrive has 100 game partitions, but only 10 games are active, then onlythe 10 game partitions of the active games need to be authenticated atboot time.

In another preferred embodiment, components are broken down into files,where the manifest contains an entry for each file in the partition.During boot time, the BIOS authenticates the Linux kernel boot image,and loads it. The Linux kernel authenticates each file as it is opened.The added benefit is that an entire partition does not need to beauthenticated when it is mounted. Instead, the files in the partitionare authenticated as they are opened. If the operating system only needsto load 20% of the files during boot time, then the remaining 80% of thefiles can be authenticated on an “as-needed” basis when they are loadedat a later time. This dramatically decreases the boot time for thegaming machine. Likewise, games are able to load just a portion of theirgraphic files during boot time. The remaining graphic files used foranimated bonus screens, movies, and sounds can be loaded later as thoseresources are required throughout the game play cycle. In this regard,if a game contains 512 MB of graphics (by way of example only), 80% ofwhich are sounds and movies, then the load time for the game isdramatically improved by delaying the loading of large files to supportthose sounds and movies.

Still, further methods of separation of the components to beauthenticated are possible. For example, and not by way of limitation,games that play a 100 MB movie typically open the file and stream thecontent of the file to the display as the movie is being played.Therefore, it is not desirable to authenticate the entire file when itis opened, as there would be a significant delay when the movie file isopened for streaming. Therefore, another preferred embodiment allowsfiles to be broken down into blocks of data where each block isauthenticated as it is read from the media. For example, the manifestfile may contain a file entry for a 100 MB file, where the file isbroken down (by way of example, and not by way of limitation) into 4Kblock sizes where each block includes a corresponding signature valuewithin the manifest file entry. As each block of the file is read, onlythat particular block needs to be authenticated before loading. Thisallows games to stream large sound and graphic files directly from thehard drive while simultaneously authenticating the contents. The benefitis file authentication without delays perceived by the player.

In another preferred embodiment, the breakdown of components is bysectors on the hard disk device. In this embodiment, each sector on thehard drive has a corresponding entry within the manifest. Since sectorsare organized around the geometry of the hard drive, and not the filesystem, this embodiment results in a more efficient and simpler methodof authenticating information as it is loaded. For example, the Linuxoperating system has a block driver for a hard drive. When a blockdriver is instructed to load blocks of data for use by the file system,the block driver can read the sectors of the disk for the blocks of dataand authenticate each sector as it is loaded. The benefit to thisprocess is that sectors comprise continuous data on the hard driveorganized around cylinders. Sectors are loaded very efficiently by thehard drive and thus can be efficiently authenticated using thismechanism. If an entire image is downloaded from a host server for apartition, each partition contains the files in a predefinedorganization. In one embodiment, a manifest for sectors ispre-calculated for the partition and downloaded along with the partitionimage.

In another preferred embodiment, when files are downloaded and installedby the gaming machine, the manifest is calculated dynamically by thegaming machine and stored in a writable area. Once the manifest iscreated based on any of the component breakdown methods described above,they are digitally signed by the gaming machine itself, or by a remoteserver. This allows for greater flexibility in how the componentbreakdowns are selected to achieve the greatest authenticationefficiency. For example, in one embodiment, downloaded files found in apartition allow the gaming machine to dynamically create a manifestbased on hard drive sector authentication that is digitally signed bythe gaming machine, or by a remote host during manifest file creation.This embodiment provides individual file download capabilities, whilemaintaining the sector-based authentication aspect, which may be themost efficient for the hard disk device in some embodiments.

In one preferred embodiment, a hard disk device contains a manifestpartition, where the manifest files can be quickly located andauthenticated. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the manifest filesare contained in a predefined section of the hard drive reserved forquick loading and authentication. In another embodiment, the entries ofthe manifest are spread out over the entire file system. For example, inone preferred embodiment, the hash value or signature value for a fileis appended to each file, or in each file's directory entry. Thesignature is calculated over all, or logical groups, of the manifestentries spread out over the file system.

In one preferred embodiment, manifests are broken down to includeentries for logical groupings of files. It is preferable in some gamingjurisdictions to have regulatory agencies approve groups of files as apackage. For example, but not by way of limitation, in one embodiment,game files are broken down into several groups of files relating to: 1)paytable and win evaluation, 2) game executable code, 3) basic gamegraphics and sounds, and 4) paytable graphics and sounds. Each group offiles is configured to be updated or replaced with a corresponding groupof files. For example, to change the paytable, groups 1) and 4) aredownloaded. Likewise, groups 2) and 3) are updated to change the lookand feel of the game. Subsequently, as a particular group is downloaded,a corresponding manifest for the file group is also downloaded. This isreferred to as a package. In one embodiment, a package can contain oneor more manifests.

According to another preferred embodiment, a method authenticates agaming component. The method includes determining if a manifest isauthentic, the manifest including component information and a storedsignature for the gaming component; performing a signature calculationon the component to determine if the manifest is authenticated; andloading the gaming component only if the component is authentic.

In one preferred embodiment, the component comprises a data file. Inanother preferred embodiment, the component comprises a data componentstored in a partition of a digital storage medium. In this embodiment,the stored signature is a signature of the entire partition, andperforming the signature calculation includes performing the signaturecalculation on the entire partition if the partition has not yet beenauthenticated during operation of the device.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the component comprises a datacomponent stored in a library located on a digital storage medium. Inthis embodiment, the stored signature is a signature of the entirelibrary. The performing of the signature calculation comprisesperforming the signature calculation on the entire library if thelibrary has not yet been authenticated during operation of the device.

Yet another preferred embodiment includes a method of authenticating oneor more components in a device. The method includes determining if amanifest is authentic, the manifest including component information anda stored signature for each component; performing a signaturecalculation on each component as each component is needed for operationof the device to determine if each component of the manifest isauthenticated; for each component needed for operation of the device,loading the component only if it is authenticated.

In another preferred embodiment, a method authenticates a component,wherein the component has a plurality of sub-components. The methodincludes determining if a manifest is authentic, the manifest includingsub-component information and a stored signature for each sub-component;performing a signature calculation on at least one sub-component todetermine if the sub-component is authenticated; and loading thesub-component only if it is authentic.

In yet another preferred embodiment, a system is used to authenticate acomponent. The system includes a processor, and a set of instructionsthat are executable on the processor for authenticating a manifest,wherein the manifest includes component information and a storedsignature for the component. Included is a set of instructions that areexecutable on the processor for determining if the manifest isauthenticated. Further included is a set of instructions executable onthe processor for performing a signature calculation on the component.This assists in determining if the component is authenticated. A furtherset of instructions that is executable on the processor is included forloading the component only if the component is authentic.

In another preferred embodiment, a system for authenticating a componentincludes a computer usable medium having computer readable program codeembodied therein configured for authenticating a component. Computerreadable code configured to determine if a manifest is authentic isincluded. The manifest includes component information and a storedsignature for the component. Further computer readable code isconfigured to perform a signature calculation on the component. Thisassists in determining if the component is authenticated. Furthercomputer readable code is configured to load the component only if thecomponent is authentic.

In another preferred embodiment, a method authenticates one or morefiles stored on a network associated storage device connected to anetwork. The method includes determining if a manifest is authentic, themanifest including component information and a stored signature for afile; reading the file from the network associated storage device over anetwork connection if the manifest is authentic; performing a signaturecalculation on the file, which assists in determining if the file isauthentic; and loading the file only if it is authentic. In one aspectof this embodiment, the gaming machine uses a plurality of files storedon the network associated storage device, reading the file, performingthe signature calculation, authenticating the file, and loading the fileare performed for each file, as needed. In another aspect of thisembodiment, the network associated storage device comprises a networkattached storage device.

In another preferred embodiment, a method authenticates one or morefiles stored on a diskless storage device. The method includesdetermining if a manifest is authentic, the manifest including componentinformation and a stored signature for a file; reading the file from thediskless storage device if the manifest is authentic; performing asignature calculation on the file, which assists in determining if thefile is authentic; and loading the file only if it is authentic. In onepreferred embodiment, the diskless storage device comprises asolid-state storage device. In another preferred embodiment, thesolid-state storage device comprises an erasable programmable read-onlymemory. In another preferred embodiment, the solid-state storage devicecomprises a safe random access memory.

An alternate embodiment allows legacy components (blocks, sectors,files, partitions) to be processed with new authentication algorithms;where the legacy components have a signature calculated across thecomponent data, but the signature is stored in a table where a record isassigned to each legacy component part number, component type, publickey, and the corresponding signature. When a legacy component isaccessed, the file system can search the table for the correspondingpart number, and if the part number is found in the table, thecorresponding signature is evaluated over the component data todetermine authenticity. If the part number is found in the table and isauthentic, then the file access is permitted; otherwise if the partnumber is not found in the table or is not authentic, then a fileauthentication error condition occurs the file is not accessible.

Other features and advantages of the claimed invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way ofexample, the features of the claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a device that comprises agaming machine having components capable of authentication according toone embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates components of the gamingmachine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2.b is a block diagram that illustrates an alternate configurationof components of the gaming machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates directory and fileorganization of a partition for manifests on the hard disk device ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a structural organization of amanifest file according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5, there is shown a flow chart illustrating the steps for booting aBIOS and Linux operating system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps performed in a fileauthentication method when a file is opened, according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that illustrates the relevant BIOS andoperating system (OS) components in ROM and their representation afterbeing loaded into system RAM;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps performed duringpower up to validate the BIOS and OS and then proceeding to authenticatecontent on other media and/or load manifests related to components onother media; and

FIG. 9, is a block diagram illustrating the organization of the legacycomponent table.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one embodiment, a system and method that uses digital signaturetechnology to authenticate the contents of one or more manifests on adigital storage device is provided. Each manifest includes a list offile records, wherein each record contains the name of a file stored onthe hard disk device, and a signature value derived from the contents ofthe file on a device. At boot time, the gaming machine first validatesits operating system, which also contains the authentication program. Ifthe operating system is valid (not corrupted), then the operating systemis loaded into system memory and used in conjunction with theauthentication program to authenticate the contents of the manifest andthen authenticates the contents of the files using the signature valuestored in the manifest. By way of example, but not by way of limitation,files are authenticated using a PVSSR algorithm as they are neededduring the loading of the game manager and game application, andthroughout normal operation. This method reduces the boot time of, forexample, of a gaming machine and eliminates the need to check digitalsignatures for each individual file or over the entire contents of anon-secure media.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like references numerals denotelike or corresponding parts throughout the drawings and, moreparticularly, to FIGS. 1-6, there is shown one embodiment of an improvedauthentication system in accordance with the invention. With referenceto FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrates a device 10 that comprises agaming machine 10, such as a BALLY S-9000 or CINEMAVISION slot machine.A cabinet 130 houses the gaming machine 10 that has one or more CRTdisplays 134 (flat panel, LCD, plasma or other conventionally knowntypes of displays) for displaying game play. One or more of the displaysmay be replaced by electro-mechanical reels, such as are found as partof a BALLY S-9000 slot machine. Electronic components 50 that operatethe games on the gaming machine 10 are located within the cabinet 130.

In some embodiments, the gaming machine 10 is part of a gaming systemconnected with other gamine machines as well as other components, suchas a SMS (Systems Management Server) and a loyalty club system (e.g.,CMS/CMP). Typically, a CMS/CMP (casino management personnel/system)system performs casino player tracking and collects regular casino floorand player activity data. The gaming system may communicate and/ortransfer data between from the gaming machines 10 and other components(e.g., servers, databases, verification/authentication systems, and/orthird parties systems).

With reference to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrates components 50 ofthe gaming machine 10 capable of authentication before and during use ofthe gaming machine 10. The components 50 comprise, for example, and notby way of limitation, software or data file components, firmwarecomponents, hardware components, or structural components of the gamingmachine 10. These components include, without limitation, one or moreprocessors 60, a hard disk device 100, volatile storage media such asrandom access memories (RAMs) 76, read-only memories (ROMs) 77 orelectrically erasable programmable ROMs (EEPROMS) such as basicinput/output systems (BIOS) 64.

In one embodiment, components 50 also include data files (which are anycollections of data, including executable programs in binary or scriptform, and the information those programs operate upon), gaming machinecabinets (housings) 130, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) 134, or compact diskread only memory (CDROM) or CD read-write (CR-RW) storage. In oneembodiment, the data files may include data storage files, softwareprogram files, operating system files, and file allocation tables orstructures. Ports 139 are be included with the gaming machine 10 forconnection to diagnostic systems 140 and other input/output devices 142.In one embodiment, the ports 139 each comprise a serial port, universalserial bus (USB) port, parallel port or any other type of known port,including a wireless port. Preferably, each of the components 50 haveembedded or loaded in them identification numbers or strings that can beaccessed by the processor 60, including the processor 60 itself, whichare utilized for authentication as explained below. In embodiment, thecomponents that are data files each use their file path and name astheir identification number or string.

Either within the gaming machine 10, or in the diagnostic system 140attachable to the gaming machine 10, are executable instructions or asoftware program 70 for authentication of the components (authenticationsoftware 70), which may itself be one of the components 50 toauthenticate if it is internal to the gaming machine 10. In oneembodiment, authentication software 70 is stored on a persistent storagemedia such as the hard disk device 90, ROM 77, EEPROM 64, in acomplementary metal oxide semiconductor memory (CMOS) 72, in safe ramcomprising a battery-backed static random access memory (BBSRAM) 62, inflash memory components 150, 160, or other type of persistent memory. Inone embodiment, the authentication software 70 is stored in a basicinput/output system (BIOS) 64 device or chip. BIOS chips 64 have beenused for storing prior authentication software, such as previousversions of the BIOS+ chip used by Bally Gaming Systems, Inc. of LasVegas, Nev. in their EVO gaming system. Placing the authenticationsoftware 70 in the BIOS 64 is advantageous because the code in the BIOS64 is usually the first code executed upon boot or start-up of thegaming machine 10, making it hard to bypass the authentication process.Alternatively, in one embodiment, the authentication software 70 isstored in a firmware hub (FWH), such as Intel's 82802 FWH.

The organization of the hard disk device 100, and compact flash 150 and160 for the operating system and game according to one embodiment areshown. The hard disk device 100 is broken down into partitions 110 toreserve a fixed amount of space for major components of the gamingsystem. When a hard disk device 100 is used as the mass storage media,all content is downloaded to the hard disk device 100 and there istypically no need for compact flash components 150, 160. However, in oneembodiment, a hard disk drive 100 is used in combination with a gamecompact flash 160 containing game files, such files being previouslyapproved by a regulatory agency. Preferably, in a completelydownloadable system, the hard disk device 100 contains all files for thesystem and the game compact flash storage media 160 is not required. Forjurisdictions that don't allow for hard disk devices, the operatingsystem's compact flash 150 is used to hold the Linux operating systemand gaming operating system related files, and the game compact flash160 holds the game files.

Each storage media, including the hard disk device 100, and flashmemories 150 and 160, is formatted into a typical disk drive geometry ofsectors, cylinders and heads. Sector 0 of the storage media contains themaster boot record, which also contains a partition table. In oneembodiment, a /manifests partition 110 a is an EXT2 Linux file systemthat is designed to hold the manifest files that are associated withother files stored on the remaining media partitions.

An /os1 partition 110 b holds the root file system for the operatingsystem that is mounted by a Linux kernel. The root file system containsthe Linux operating system files as well as other utility files of thegaming machine that are needed for proper operation. It also containsthe files that pertain to the operation of the gaming OS. These areprograms specifically developed to manage the resources that are commonto gaming machines, such as input/output (I/O), peripherals, randomnumber generator(s), host communications drivers, and the like.

An /os2 partition 110 c holds the same type of files as the /os1partition 110 b, but the /os2 partition 110 c includes an alternativeoperating system that can be executed. If for some reason the operatingsystem contained in the /os1 partition 110 b fails to load and properlyexecute, then the system can revert to the operating system in the /os2partition 110 c as a backup operating system. In one embodiment, the/os2 partition 110 c holds an operating system that was previously knownto operate without failure. The operating systems contained in the /os1and /os2 partitions 110 b, 110 c can be used interchangeably in analternating fashion so that it can be guaranteed that the last known,acceptable operating system can be executed if the other operatingsystem fails to load. Another advantage of these dual operating systempartitions is to allow for robust updates of the operating system, evenif a power-fail should occur during package installation. This isparticularly important for various remote system locations, where it maybe inconvenient to send technicians to fix failed downloaded updates.

In another embodiment, a /download partition 110 d holds a writablepartition where newly downloaded packages are stored and download logfiles are kept. When a package is installed, the package contents areused to update files on the hard-drive partitions as dictated by thepackage contents.

In a still further embodiment, a /games partition 110 e holds the filesrelated to a game application. This includes the game executable,graphics, sounds, paytables, configuration and other files required forthe game application to operate properly. In one embodiment, thispartition holds files for a plurality of games and their associatedfiles. This allows the system to support multigame applications.

The operating system's compact flash 150 layout is similar to the harddisk device 100 layout, except, in some embodiments, it does not containa /games partition. The game compact flash 160 contains a /manifestpartition and /game partition. The game manager compact flash 150 isused along with the game flash 160 to form a complete bootable system.The /manifests partition located on each media 160 contains the manifestfiles associated with their respective media partitions.

As alternative, instead of, or in conjunction with, the hard disk device100, another mass storage device is used, such as a CD-ROM, CD-RWdevice, a WORM device, a floppy disk device, a removable type of harddisk device, a ZIP disk device, a JAZZ disk device, a DVD device, aremovable flash memory device, or a hard card type of hard disk device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates directory and fileorganization of the /manifest 110 a partition for a hard disk device100. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a /config directory 302 containsconfiguration files that the BIOS can use during the boot process,including known operating system boot tracking files boot.id andactive.id. In one embodiment, a public-key.id file stores a public keyfor authenticating the /config directory itself, or the whole manifestpartition as a component. The /os1 directory 304 contains the manifestfiles pertaining to the operating system in /os1 partition 110 b. The/os2 directory 306 contains manifest files for the operating system inthe /os2 partition 110 c. The /games directory 308 contains all manifestfiles for the /games partition 110 e. In one embodiment, manifest filesend in “.mfst” which allows the BIOS to uniquely identify them as itparses through the file system.

Still further, a “/os1/kernel.mfst” manifest file contains an entryassociated with the Linux kernel image that is stored on the /os1partition 110 b at the location “/boot/kernel.image”. Likewise the“/os1/initrd.mfst” manifest file contains an entry associated with the/os1 partition file at the location “/boot/initrd.image” The“/os1/os.mfst” file contains entries for all other files on the /os1partition 110 b.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates the layout of a manifest fileaccording to one embodiment. The manifest file contains headerinformation followed by an entry for each file. The first component isthe Manifest Digital Signature (MDS). The digital signature is createdat a later time after the manifest is created. During manifest creation,the MDS is initially filled with zeros as a placeholder. The next fieldholds the version string of the manifest. Each manifest is uniquelyidentified by its file name. However, additional version information isalso placed within the file. The Build Time Stamp field (BTS) containsthe date and time when the manifest was created. In one embodiment, thedate and time field is in Unix format. The Manifest File Entry Count(MFEC) field contains the number of file entries that directly followthis field.

Each file entry contains information to allow the Linux kernel toauthenticate the contents of a file that exists on one of thepartitions. The first field of the file entry is the name of the file.The file name is a variable length string that is terminated by a nullcharacter. The name of the file matches the path of the file to which itrefers, as it exists on the Linux file system. For example, and not byway of limitation, a file in a game partition with the relative path,“/blazing7s/paytable,” relates to an entry of“/games/blazing7s/paytable” in the manifest because the game partitionis mounted under the “/games” directory of the Linux file system.

Following the file name field is the type field, which stores the typeof the referred file. The type can be “file” to indicate the signatureis over the entire file contents. In another embodiment, the type fieldcan be set to “block” to indicate that the file data is broken down intoblocks of signed data. Following the type field is a summary signaturevalue that is computed over the remainder of the record's data. Theblock size field that follows indicates the size of each block of filedata. The number of blocks in the file is the next field and it denoteshow many signature values will follow. The remaining signature values inthe file entry are the signature values for each sequential block ofdata of the file. The last signature in the list includes the signaturevalue over the last block of file data. This last block could be lessthan the full block size in the event the file size is not an exactmultiple of the block size.

The benefit of block type authentication is that it allows each block ofdata to be authenticated as the content of the file is being read. Forexample, a media file may consist of a file size of 310,000,000 bytes,which is approximately 302 Mbytes in size. Loading this entire file intomemory may be difficult or impractical for embedded systems havinglimited memory. Therefore, it is desirable to stream the media file tothe video display and sound system by loading one piece of data at atime. Additionally, authenticating the entire 302 Mbyte file beforeplaying it, may cause the system to present a significant delay to theplayer. By using a block size of 4 Kbytes, for example, each block isread and the contents are authenticated one block at a time. Thisresults in the 302 Mbyte file having 75684 blocks and 75684 signaturevalues stored in the manifest file. The last block of data in the filecontains the remaining 2432 bytes of data of the file and the lastsignature in the signature list is calculated for this last block of2432 bytes of data.

FIG. 5, there is shown a flow chart illustrating the steps for booting aBIOS and Linux operating system according to one embodiment. The BIOS isthe first program to start when the gaming machine is powered on. TheBIOS is located in a 1 MByte EPROM. Of course, it will be appreciatedthat EPROMs of other capacities may also be used. The last 512 Kbytes ofthe EPROM includes the BIOS code. The first 512 Kbytes is used asstartup code.

The BIOS first executes on power-up, step 400. In one embodiment, theBIOS initializes PC-based hardware and then executes a BIOS extensionprior to booting from media. The BIOS extension generally resides in thelower half of the EPROM. In step 402, the BIOS extension first validatesitself by calculating a verification code over the entire 1 MByte BIOSEPROM. In step 404, if the calculated verification code does not matchthe stored verification code in the BIOS, then the EPROM is deem corruptand execution stops at the validation error state, step 490. Thevalidation error state displays a meaningful error message to anoperator and prevents further booting of the gaming machine system. Thegaming machine remains in this unplayable, faulted state until power isrecycled or the device is turned off and on. It is preferred that theverification code be calculated with a CRC-16 algorithm, but othertechniques may also be used as are well know in the art.

The BIOS validation step 402 may also include the check of a digitalsignature. The digital signature and public key may be stored in theBIOS next to where the verification code is stored. After theverification passes, the digital signature and public key can be used bya digital signature algorithm to test the authenticity of the BIOS.

After the BIOS has authenticated the BIOS EPROM, in step 406, the BIOSauthenticates the manifests on the media storage devices attached to thegaming system electronics. During initial boot-up, the BIOS searches forIDE drives connected to the electronics. One preferred configurationincludes one large capacity hard drive, although other configurationsare used with other embodiments. For example, with reference back toFIG. 2, in one embodiment, the media storage device storing the files tobe authenticated and used by the gaming machine 10 is a remote mediastorage device 101, that is accessed over a port 139 configured as anetwork connection (e.g., RJ 45 for TCP/IP network, USB, switched fabricconnection, or the like) to a download server 122. The files are readfrom the remote storage device over the network connection port 139 fromthe download server 122.

In another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.b, the gaming devicepackages CPU initialization and BIOS (64) and the OS block (80) into aROM device (77). FIG. 7 details the contents of the ROM device 600,which contains the CPU initialization and BIOS 610, the operating systemand relevant components 630 that are essential to authenticate contenton other storage devices (for example Compact Flash 150 & 160 or HardDrive 110). In this embodiment the ROM device 600 is an implicitlytrusted device, the contained operating system and associated fileand/or network system drivers 630 are implicitly trusted also. The trustmodel is implicit; however, an integrity check must be performed beforeany of the components are loaded from ROM 600 into system RAM 650.

FIG. 7 illustrates the various software components of the ROM 600 thatare relevant to the validation and authentication of the system. The ROMcontains CPU initialization code and BIOS 610, an operating systemloader 620, and an operating system package 630. The CPU initializationand BIOS 610 performs an integrity check before copying itself intosystem RAM 650. This integrity check is done to determine if anycorruption or hardware component failure has occurred that would preventproper operation of the CPU initialization code and BIOS 610.

FIG. 8 contains flow charts that illustrate the ROM integrity checkprocess. Upon power up, the CPU initialization logic 900 is executed.The details of the CPU initialization are numerous, and the flow chartfor CPU initialization 900 is reduced to the relevant steps. The CPUhardware and associated system logic board hardware components areinitialized 910 to provide a stable environment with the minimalresources to execute programs in. Then the validation logic 920 isexecuted to validate the integrity of just CPU initialization logic 610.The specific validation algorithm is selected by its ability todetermine if any of the data has been altered or corrupted. Forexamples, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) such as CCITT-32 and securehash such as SHA-1 have proven to be an adequate validation algorithm.If the content of the block is valid, then the conditional check at 930will pass and the BIOS configuration 940 will execute and continue withthe OS loader 1000. Alternatively, if the validation fails, then anerror will be displayed 960 and the system is halted 970 and notpermitted to execute the OS loader.

The OS loader 1000 initializes itself 1010 and performs an integritycheck 1020 across the ROM 600. The specific validation algorithm isselected by its ability to determine if any of the data has been alteredor corrupted. For examples, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) such asCCITT-16, CCITT-32, and secure hash such as SHA-1 have proven to be anadequate validation algorithms. The integrity is determined bycalculating a verification code using the aforementioned algorithmacross the specified data in ROM 600. This verification code is thencompared with a verification that was pre-calculated and stored in theROM 600. An alternative exists where the integrity check is performedover the block 620 that contains the components targeted for loading(622, 623, 624, 625, and 626) plus the OS loader 621, and the resultingverification code is compared with a pre-calculated verification codethat was stored with block 620. If the validation is successful, meaningno alteration or corruption, then the relevant sections of the OS block(622, 623, 624,625, and 626) are loaded into system RAM 1050 by the OSLoader 621.

When the operating system is loaded from ROM 600 into system RAM 650 andexecuted, the operating system 671 provides a secure environment toauthenticate software components from the game manager compact flash150, the game compact flash 160, and the hard drive 110. TheAuthentication Kernel Module 672, File System Drivers 673, and NetworkDrivers 674 may be used to authenticate manifest content from any mediadevices such as the hard drive 110, the game manager compact flash 150,or the game compact flash.

The authentication of manifest content is depicted in FIG. 8 at steps730, 740, 750, 760, 770, 780, and 790. The manifest content isauthenticated using the same techniques described above.

In another embodiment, the remote media storage device 101 is combinedwith the download server 122 in a specialized file server called anetwork file storage device. A network file storage device contains aslimmed-down operating system and a file system. The operating systemprocesses I/O requests by supporting common file sharing protocols. Inone embodiment, this allows the gaming machine 10 to operate as adiskless workstation, and boot directly from the remote media storagedevice 101.

In yet another embodiment, the media storage device storing the files tobe authenticated and used by the gaming machine is a solid state, ordiskless, storage device, such as an erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM),safe random access memory (safe-RAM), another flash memory device, orthe like.

Whether remote or local, hard disk or solid state, for each mediastorage device, the BIOS reads the manifests. In one embodiment, themanifests are read from a first partition 110 located on a hard diskdevice 100. In this embodiment, since the manifests are stored in a EXT2Linux file system on the partition 110, the BIOS is programmed to readthis file system so that it can open the root directory, subdirectories,and files within the subdirectories. The BIOS starts at the rootdirectory for the manifest partition 110 a and performs a depth firstrecursive search for all manifest files that have the “.mfst” suffix.Every manifest file found is then authenticated by the BIOS.

In one embodiment, for each manifest file, the system first reads thesize of the file from the directory entry. Then, in step 406, the BIOSopens the file to read the file contents in binary format. The first 20bytes of data are read as the digital signature for the manifest. Next,in step 406, the BIOS uses the digital signature for the manifest andthe public key stored in the BIOS to authenticate the manifest fileusing a PVSSR algorithm. In step 408, if the authenticity passes, thenthe manifest is considered authentic; otherwise the BIOS provides anauthentication error and stops, step 490. The manifest beingauthenticated need not be loaded into memory. In one embodiment, it isread in a piecemeal manner so that the signature can be evaluated overthe file contents. Once a manifest is authenticated, then its contentsare cleared from memory. The BIOS then proceeds to authenticate the nextmanifest.

In one non-limiting embodiment, PVSSR signature generation and PVSSRsignature verification may be utilized as described below. PVSSR isdescribed in further detail in IEEE 1363-2000: Standard Specificationsfor Public Key Cryptography and associated amendment IEEE P1363 a:Standard Specifications for Public Key Cryptography: Pintsov-VanstoneSignatures with Message Recovery, which are incorporated herein byreference. IEEE P1363a is also attached hereto as Appendix A.

PVSSR Signature Generation:

W=sG is public key of signer;

s is private key of signer;

G is generator of elliptic curve of order r;

S( ) is a cipher of a one-to-one transformation;

H( ) is a hash function;

m is the message to be signed; and

m is divided into two parts, l and n.

-   -   1. If n is not a member of N, stop and return “invalid”.    -   2. Randomly choose an integer u from the range [1,r−1]    -   3. Compute V=uG    -   4. Derive a symmetric key V′ from the point V using a key        derivation function.    -   5. Compute c=S_(V′)(n)    -   6. Compute h=H(c∥l)    -   7. Compute d=sh+u mod r    -   The resulting signature (c, d) must be conveyed to the verifier.        The verifier also need l to recover n.

PVSSR Signature Verification:

W, public key of signer, G, r are authentically obtained by theverifier;

(c,d) are the purported signature; and

L is the purported “verification” portion of message m.

-   -   1. Compute h=H(c∥l)    -   2 Compute V=dG−hW    -   3. Derive a symmetric key V′ from the point V using a key        derivation function.    -   4. Compute n=S_(V′) ⁻¹(c)    -   5. If n is not a member of N, then stop and reject the signature    -   6. If n is a member of N, then accept the signature    -   7. Recover the message as m=l∥n

Additionally, when authenticating manifest files, the BIOS keeps arunning SHA1 hash value over all manifest file data it processes in aglobal variable 410. Initially, this global variable, BIOS SHA1, is setto zero. As each manifest is authenticated, the BIOS uses the BIOS SHA1result to perform a running calculation over the entire manifest filecontents. The BIOS then stores the new BIOS SHA1 result back in theglobal variable, step 409. This process is similar to a process ofcalculating a SHA1 over all manifest files as if they were allconcatenated into a stream of file data. Therefore, the order ofprocessed manifests is kept consistent between the BIOS and the kernel.

The BIOS SHA1 value is then passed to the Linux kernel when it boots,step 418. The Linux kernel can use it to guarantee that the manifestfile contents are identical when the Linux kernel loads the manifestsinto memory. This allows the BIOS to perform all of the authenticationfrom EPROM based code, but allows the Linux kernel to verify that everyfile loaded thereafter has not changed from its originally processedcontents. This step guarantees that the manifest files have not beenchanged between the time the BIOS authenticates them and the time theLinux kernel loads them. In an alternative embodiment, the BIOS systemcontinually accesses the hard disk device 100 for the manifests. Withconstant accesses and a quick boot time, the system can reduce thechance that the manifest file has changed.

Once all manifests are authenticated, step 412, then the BIOS verifiesthe Linux kernel image and the initial ram disk image, step 414. TheLinux kernel image contains the compressed binary image for the Linuxkernel. This is the first part of the Linux operating system that runs.The initial ram disk image contains a ram based file system that holdsthe startup drivers and startup scripts used by the Linux kernel image.In one embodiment, the manifest partition contains two special manifestfiles that can be identified by their file name. The/manifests/os1/kernel.mfst file contains the SHA1 for the kernel imageand the /manifests/initrd.mfst contains the SHA1 for the initial ramdisk image. When authenticating these two manifest files, the BIOS savestheir embedded SHA1 values to use when loading the Linux kernel imageand the initial ram disk image. In step 414, the Linux kernel image isloaded into memory by the BIOS. As it is loaded, the BIOS calculates aSHA1 over the contents. Once loaded, in step 416, the BIOS compares thecalculated SHA1 to the SHA1 kept from the manifest file, kernel.mfst. Ifthey are the same, then the Linux kernel image is verified. The BIOSperforms the same type of operation on the Linux initial ram disk image.If either of the SHA1 comparisons fail, the BIOS produces a validationerror and halts further booting, step 490. Once both images are loaded,the BIOS jumps to the start of the Linux kernel image in memory, step418, passing the BIOS SHA1 manifest calculation it computed over allmanifest files found on all media devices, step 410. This value ispassed in as a startup value allowing Linux to use it later in the bootprocess.

When the Linux kernel executes, it performs some initialization,eventually mounts the initial ram disk image, and runs the startupscripts found on the initial ram disk, step 420. These startup scriptsload certain drivers from the ram disk and install them into the Linuxkernel. One of these drivers is the file authentication module. Thismodule intercepts file open calls made to the Linux kernel so that afile can be authenticated immediately upon opening and before use. Themodule is also responsible for storing the manifest entries of filenames and signature values to use in file authentication. Afterinstalling the file authentication module, the startup scripts run themanifest loader that loads the manifests into the kernel fileauthentication module, step 422.

The manifest loader begins searching for manifest files on the mediadevices. In one embodiment, the search for manifests is performed usingthe same method and order as did the BIOS. Similar to the BIOS, themanifest loader contains a global variable, Linux SHA1, that itinitializes to zero, step 422. As each manifest file is loaded, step424, the SHA1 is calculated over the entire manifest file contents. Instep 426, each manifest is parsed based on the manifest file version,type information, and file type version information. The manifest loaderparses out each file entry record. For each file entry it calls, theLinux kernel file authentication module passes the file name, file type,file signature, and any extra data associated with the file types, sucha block list of signatures. As each call is made to load a manifestentry, the file authentication module adds each entry into an internalmemory table protected by the kernel and that is inaccessible to otherprocesses, step 424, until the last manifest is processed, step 428.This table is preferably a hash table keyed on file names to allow forquick lookups when a file is opened. It is possible for two manifests toreference the same file, but they both preferably contain the samesignature value. In other words, duplicate entries are accepted andfiltered out by the file authentication module. In one embodiment, ifthe same file name is loaded into the kernel file authentication moduleand the file has two different signature values, then such is consideredan authentication error and the boot process is terminated.

Once the manifest loader has loaded all manifests from all mediadevices, it then passes into the file authentication module the LinuxSHA1 value it computed over all manifest file data. In step 430, theLinux kernel compares the BIOS SHA1 passed to it when starting the Linuxkernel to the Linux SHA1 passed in by the manifest loader. If they areidentical, then all manifests that have been authenticated by the BIOShave been loaded by the manifest loader and all manifest data wasidentical in both operations. In this case, the file authenticationmodule records that it has been properly initialized and the kernel callreturns to the manifest loader to continue the boot process. If amismatch between the BIOS SHA1 and Linux SHA1 is found in step 430, thenthe kernel goes into a file authentication error mode and preventsfurther execution of the boot process in step 490.

During the boot process, startup scripts for the system continue to run,step 470. Each of these files is loaded and authenticated by the Linuxkernel authentication module by testing its signature value loaded instep 424. Eventually the root file system for the operating system ismounted from the hard disk device. In one embodiment, it is mounted as aread-only file system. This file system contains more startup scripts tocontinue the initialization of the operating system and the eventualloading of the gaming operating system libraries, servers, and gameapplications that comprise the gaming system, step 480.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that illustrates the steps performed in fileauthentication method when a file is opened, according to oneembodiment. As each file is opened for processing, step 500, a standardfile-open call is made to the Linux kernel, step 502. This can be causedby a script opening a file, a program opening a file, or a Linux libraryopening a file. Every file-open call is intercepted. In one embodiment,the Linux kernel is customized to check if the file is on a read-onlypartition, step 504, and if not, a function call is made through anindirect pointer to the file authentication kernel module. Otherwise,the file does not need authentication and the Linux kernel can open,step 506, and process, step 508, the file as it normally does.

More particularly, the kernel file authentication module receives thecall to authenticate a file, step 510. The system first looks up thefile's complete path name in the hash lookup table loaded previouslyduring the Linux boot process. In one embodiment, if the file entry isnot found, then this unknown file cannot be authenticated and the Linuxkernel goes into a file authentication error mode, and prevents furtherexecution of any applications. If the file is found, then it retrievesthe signature value loaded for that file entry. The file data is thenread by the kernel file authentication module and a signature isevaluated over the file contents, step 512. If the signature evaluationis successful, then the file authentication module returns to the Linuxkernel allowing it to complete the normal file open process, step 506.If authentication fails, then the Linux kernel goes into the fileauthentication error mode preventing further execution of anyapplication processes, step 516.

In another embodiment, referring to the previous example of a 302 Mbytefile with “block” type authentication, in an additional effort to savememory in the embedded system, the entire signature list forfile-by-file type authentication of files is not loaded at boot time. Tosave time, the Linux kernel retains in memory where the signature listof the 75684 signature values starts in the manifest file and uses it ata later time when the file is opened for streaming. When the file isopened, the Linux kernel reads the signature list from the manifest. Inorder to insure that the list has not changed or been corrupted, thefirst signature in the file entry is the signature value calculatedacross the remainder of the signature list. The Linux kernel can thenload the list and evaluate the signature originally loaded at boot time.Once this test is passed, then the file is ready for streaming and eachblock of file data can be authenticated as it is loaded.

In one embodiment, a more hierarchical organization of signature valuesis used. This organization allows the Linux kernel to load one piece ofthe signature value list at a time to further reduce any load or timedelays. If the Linux kernel loads 1000 signature list values at a time,then a second tier level of 75 signature values are present. The firstsignature is evaluated over the 75 signature values. The first signaturevalue in the second tier list is then evaluated over the first 1000signature values of the 3rd tier.

By using different types of file entries as denoted by the type field,the manifest can support many different authentication methods. The BIOSdoes not need to retain information about the format for these types ofmanifests. The BIOS searches for manifest files ending in the “.mfst”extension, reads the contents, evaluates the signature over the manifestfile contents, excluding the first 20 bytes of the digital signaturevalue. If the authentication fails, then the manifest file is corrupt.If the authentication passes, then the manifest is deemed authentic. Ifnot, then there is a file authentication error.

In other embodiments, the manifest is signed with other public/privatekey algorithms, such as RSA, without affecting the benefit that thedigitally signed manifests provide. In one embodiment, the manifests areencrypted instead of being digitally signed. In yet another embodiment,the Linux Kernel Image and initial ram disk image are encrypted. Thedecryption key is stored in the BIOS. The BIOS decrypts the Linux kernelimage and the initial ram disk image, and allows the Linux kernel toboot. By decrypting the kernel, the BIOS can run the kernel as a trustedprogram. The Linux kernel boots and the startup scripts run the manifestloader. The manifest loader decrypts the manifest files and loads thefile entries into the Linux kernel file authentication module, asdescribed above. Once all manifests are loaded, the Linux operatingsystem continues booting and dynamically checks the authenticity of eachfile as it is opened.

In another embodiment, manifests may be broken down to hold signaturesfor files according to how software components are packaged anddistributed. A package may consist of a set of files and the packagemanifest that controls or pertains to one aspect of the gaming machine'soperation. By breaking the operating system or game files into smallerpackages, a gaming system that supports download can have better controlover which packages get updated when such update occurs.

In some embodiments, one manifest holds authentication data for everyfile on the hard drive, while in other embodiments, the manifest islimited to only one file, wherein every file has its own associatedmanifest. Neither of these methods diminishes the benefit of improvingthe boot speed, since the operating system authenticates files that areloaded on an “as-needed” basis.

In another embodiment, one manifest with one digital signature is usedfor all data files on a gaming platform, or for a particular mediastorage device. In this embodiment, the manifest partition contains onemanifest file and one digital signature. In another similar embodiment,the manifest partition is a list of files and their associated signaturevalues, with a digital signature at the end of the partition, so thatthe entire partition is authenticated before loading.

The benefit to having one manifest is the simplicity of managing onlyone file entry list or one manifest, and the speed at which the manifestis processed. In some embodiments, the manifest is created at the timesoftware is built for release. However, downloading one entire packageto the hard drive along with its one associated manifest is not quite asbeneficial as downloading individual packages, in some gamingjurisdictions. In these gaming jurisdictions, individual packages arecreated and approved by regulatory agencies in an independent manner. Ingaming machines located within these jurisdictions, the packages aredownloaded to gaming machines individually by a download server to formvarious configurations. This is much easier to manage instead ofcreating every configuration at the time the software is built andgetting every combination of configuration approved by regulatoryagencies. For these gaming machines, it is advantageous to include amanifest in or for each package downloaded.

In one embodiment, a method allows a single manifest to exist whilestill providing the ability to download individual packages. In thisembodiment, the manifest is dynamically signed each time a new downloadoccurs that affects the contents of the manifest. If a new package isdownloaded that contains four new files and one changed file, then fourmanifest file entries are added and one entry updated with the newsignature corresponding to the files. The gaming machine digitally signsthe manifest after the download installation is completed. In thisembodiment, the private key for digitally signing the manifest islocated somewhere within the gaming machine.

In an alternative embodiment, the gaming machine, through a secureconnection with a download host, sends the manifest information to thedownload host and the download host dynamically digitally signs themanifest and responds to the gaming machine with the manifest digitalsignature. In another embodiment, the host already has the manifestcontents of the gaming machine and is able to digitally sign the newmanifest and download it with the original download package. Either ofthese methods allows the download server to digitally sign the manifestso that the private key is not stored within the gaming machine. Thisadded protection of the private key can be more easily performed on thedownload server and is more economical than placing the same protectionon every gaming machine. Such protection can involve, for example, asecure computing system, chip, or plug-in board that provides digitalsignatures without compromising the private key.

As described above, the manifest contains file entries and theirassociated signature values. In an alternative embodiment, the manifestcontains a list of partition entries that are on the storage media. Eachpartition entry indicates a partition on the hard drive and itscorresponding signature value. The Linux kernel and the initial ram diskimage are stored in a separate partition. The BIOS authenticates themanifest via its digital signature. It then authenticates the Linuxkernel partition by evaluating a signature over the partition data. Onceauthenticated, the BIOS loads the Linux kernel and the Linux kernel bootprocess begins. The manifest loader loads the manifest in the Linuxkernel partition authentication module. The partition authenticationmodule is responsible for authenticating each partition as it is mountedby the Linux operating system. Partitions are larger than files, andauthenticating a partition prior to using some of the files in thepartition may take a little longer than file based authentication;however, it is still faster than authenticating the entire media contentprior to booting.

Another embodiment uses block-based authentication. Every fast accessstorage media in Linux is broken down into block-based accesses. Eachblock may be 512 bytes in size. Of course, any size block can be used.File systems are organizations that are built on top of the block baseddata access methods. In one embodiment, authentication is built into thestorage media by having a signature for every block of data on the harddrive. The manifest then becomes a list of signatures for every block ofdata that is to be authenticated. Since many of the blocks of data on ahard drive may be identical, perhaps because they are unused, in oneembodiment, the list is compressed to save space. In such a scenario,the manifest comprises approximately 20/512, or 4% of the disk space. Ifsequential blocks area used to form a larger block of 4096, or 4 Kbytes,of data, then the disk space required for the manifest reduces toapproximately 0.5% of the disk space. With a 10 Gbyte hard drive, themanifest is approximately 50 Mbytes in size.

In another embodiment, using a method similar to that discussed aboveregarding file-based authentication, hierarchical sections of signaturevalues allow portions of the manifest list to be dynamically loaded ondemand. For example, and not by way of limitation, the 50 Mbytes list iscomprised of 2,500,000 signature values. The list of signatures isbroken down into 25,000 sections, each section comprises 100 signaturesvalues. A higher level signature list of 25,000 signature values is usedas the top level signature values, where each signature in this toplevel list is the signature over one of the 25,000 sections of signaturevalues. This list is, therefore, about 500 Kbytes in size, which caneasily be loaded into memory at boot time. When the operating systemtries to read a block of data on the hard drive, the kernel determineswhich of the lower level 25,000 sections the block is associated. Ifthis lower level section of 100 signatures values is not in memory, thenit is loaded. When the level is loaded, all 100 signatures values forthe section are read into memory and the signature over them isevaluated. If signature is valid, then the loaded section of 100signature values is determined to be authentic, and the correctsignature value for the block can then be used to authenticate thecontents of the 4096 byte block that is then loaded.

In still another embodiment, sections of the signature lists and loadedare managed by a memory manager to determine when to release a sectionlist to make room to load another section list on demand. Least recentlyused algorithms are used to determine which sections to discard. In oneembodiment, by de-fragmenting a hard drive, even more efficiency isattained when using the block authentication method across the entirehard drive.

It should be noted that, while the invention has been described in thecontext of a gaming machine, the components of any device can beauthenticated using the embodiments described herein. By way of example,and not by way of limitation, other exemplary devices that can beauthenticated include: a kiosk, a cashier device, a plasma signagecontroller, a DNS server, a DHCP server, a database server, a webserver, a cryptographic device, a firewall, a load balancer, a networkmonitoring unit, a network router, a download server, a certificateauthority server, a cashless server, a progressive controller, atournament controller, a display controller, a networking device, anEthernet switch, a network hub, a cash transaction server, a third partypayment server, a prize redemption machine, in room gaming device, abingo game controller, a lottery game controllers, a class II gamingdevice, a class III gaming device, a lottery gaming device, an amusementgaming device, an arcade gaming machine, a regulator monitoring device,a VPN device; a player tracking device; a player marketing device, aslot management system, a home game console, an ATM banking machine, adebit card reader, a point of sale system, a cash register, a retailscanner, a RFID reader, a location security monitoring/security inputdevice, a military device, a vending machine, a stock transactionserver, a banking server, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, alaptop computing device, an electronic wallet device, a smart card, aset-top box, a monetary input/output device, a biometric device, a userauthentication device, a personal media player, a software networkupdatable device, a handheld scanner, a currency handler/counter, alottery ticket purchase/redemption device, a player bingo device, amonitor, a television, a fax device, an electronic money transferdevice, a USB device, a Bluetooth device, a fire wire capable device, awi-fi enabled device, a robotic device, or a handheld gaming device orany other device that requires files to be authenticated in a timelymanner.

An alternate embodiment provides a means to authenticate legacy softwarecomponents without requiring that the legacy components be re-processedby developers, testers, or jurisdictional regulatory bodies. A finiteset of legacy components are selected for inclusion in an legacycomponent table. This table contains a record for each of the legacycomponents, where the record has fields that are used in identifying andauthenticating the legacy component. FIG. 9 illustrates an example tableof legacy components that are supported by the authentication software.This table may be located in a variety of memory locations, such as theBIOS ROM, hard drive, game manager compact flash, or the via a networkstorage device. The record contains a part number or unique identifierthat is contained within the legacy component. The record also containsa type field that identifies the type of the component authenticationthat was used, and a signature field that corresponds to a signaturethat has been calculated over the component data. The table is createdduring the build process of the software that contains the table. Therecord fields are populated using pre-calculated legacy componentvalues. The signature value that corresponds to the legacy softwarecomponent is pre-calculated using the same private key as the non-legacysoftware components.

An alternative embodiment uses one or more independent key pairs, wherethe legacy software component is signed with the private key from thekey pair, and the table contains corresponding public key for use duringauthentication. The public key may be stored verbatim as a field in thetable record, or may be identified by reference from a field in thetable record, with a separate table of public keys is used to obtain thepublic key from the corresponding index. This index method allows a muchsmaller record size since an index is much smaller than a public key,and a relatively large public key may otherwise be repeated many timesin the legacy component table.

Upon power-up, if a legacy component is detected as in FIG. 8 step 1100,the authentication logic authenticates the entire component beforeallowing access to the component or loading of the component; otherwise,the component manifest is loaded 1120 for later use by theauthentication software. This legacy component authentication step canbe seen in FIG. 8 following the detection of a legacy game flash 1110.The legacy component part number is searched for in the table 1140. Ifthe component part number is not found in the table, then anauthentication error occurs. Otherwise, if the component part number isfound in the table, then the type and signature fields are used inauthenticating the legacy component. The type value indicates if thecomponent is a partition, block, sector, or file, and is used by theauthentication software. The signature value is obtained from therecord. Similarly, the global public key may be used. The signaturevalue is evaluated across the legacy component data as indicated by thetype value, which results in an authentication pass/fail result 1160. Ifthe authentication fails, then an authentication error occurs 1170 thathalts the processing, otherwise the legacy component is flagged asauthentic 1180 and processing continues.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention.Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modificationsand changes that may be made to the claimed invention without followingthe example embodiments and applications illustrated and describedherein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theclaimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of authenticating a gaming component ina gaming device-enabled gaming system, the method comprising: providinga physical network that connects and enables communication betweengaming devices in the gaming device-enabled gaming system, each gamingdevice comprising: (i) at least one display device; (ii) a plurality ofinput devices including: (a) a monetary input device of a first physicalitem associated with a first monetary value; (b) a monetary outputdevice actuatable to cause a payout associated with a credit balance;(iii) at least one gaming device processor; and (iv) at least one gamingdevice memory device storing a gaming component; determining, using theat least one gaming device processor, if a manifest is authentic, themanifest including component information and a stored signature for thegaming component; organizing the gaming component into multiplepartitions, a first partition associated with an operating system, andother partitions associated with gaming libraries and executables, andmultiple games; performing, using the at least one gaming deviceprocessor, an authentication calculation on the gaming component over anetwork connection to evaluate the signature if the manifest isauthentic, wherein the first partition is authenticated prior to otherpartitions associated with game libraries and executables, and multiplegames and prior to loading the operating system; authenticating, usingthe at least one gaming device processor, the gaming componentevaluating the signature across the other partitions of the gamingcomponent associated with gaming libraries and executables and multiplegames where the first partition is authenticated; and loading theauthenticated partitions of the gaming component.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein authenticating the manifest includes performing a digitalsignature algorithm on the manifest.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe component is authenticated when the component is retrieved foroperation of a device.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the componentcomprises a data file.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the componentcomprises a data component stored in a partition of a digital storagemedium, wherein the stored signature is a signature of the wholepartition, and performing the signature calculation comprises evaluatingthe signature across the data within the whole partition if thepartition has not yet been authenticated during operation of the device.6. The method of claim 3, wherein the component comprises a datacomponent stored in a library in a digital storage medium, wherein thestored signature is a signature of the entire library, and theperforming of the signature calculation comprises performing thesignature evaluation on the contents of the entire library if thelibrary has not yet been authenticated during operation of the device.7. The method of claim 3, wherein the component comprises a data filestored in one or more data blocks in a digital storage medium, whereinthe stored signature is a signature of the one or more data blocks, andthe performing of the signature calculation comprises evaluating thesignature calculation on each data block an as-needed basis as the fileloads if the data block has not been authenticated.
 8. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the component comprises a data file stored in one ormore data sectors in a digital storage medium, wherein the storedsignature is a signature of the one or more data sectors, and theperforming of the signature calculation comprises evaluating thesignature on each data sector as the file loads on an as-needed basis.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is authenticated on acontinuing basis during operation of a device.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein the component is authenticated each time a critical eventoccurs for a device.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the datacomponent comprises a data file.
 12. A method of authenticating a gamingcomponent in a gaming device-enabled gaming system, the methodcomprising: providing a physical network that connects and enablescommunication between gaming devices in the gaming device-enabled gamingsystem, each gaming device comprising: (i) at least one display device;(ii) a plurality of input devices including: (a) a monetary input deviceof a first physical item associated with a first monetary value; (b) amonetary out device to cause a payout associated with a credit balance;(iii) at least one gaming device processor; and (iv) at least one gamingdevice memory device storing a gaming component; determining, using theat least one gaming device processor, if a manifest is authentic, themanifest including component information and a stored signature for thegaming component; organizing the gaming component into multiplepartitions, a first partition associated with an operating system, andother partitions associated with gaming libraries and executables, andmultiple games; performing, using the at least one gaming deviceprocessor, a signature calculation on the gaming component if themanifest is authentic, wherein the first partition is authenticatedprior to other partitions associated with game libraries andexecutables, and multiple games and prior to loading the operatingsystem; and loading the gaming component only if the gaming component isauthentic.
 13. A method of authenticating one or more gaming componentsin a gaming device-enabled gaming system, the method comprising:providing a physical network that connects and enables communicationbetween gaming devices in the gaming device-enabled gaming system, eachgaming device comprising: (i) at least one display device; (ii) aplurality of input devices including: (a) a monetary input device of afirst physical item associated with a first monetary value; (b) amonetary output device actuatable to cause a payout associated with acredit balance; (iii) at least one gaming device processor; and (iv) atleast one gaming device memory device storing one or more gamingcomponents; determining, using the at least one gaming device processor,if a manifest is authentic, the manifest including component informationand a stored signature for each gaming component; organizing the gamingcomponent into multiple partitions, a first partition associated with anoperating system, and other partitions associated with gaming librariesand executables, and multiple games; performing, using the at least onegaming device processor, a signature calculation on each gamingcomponent as each gaming component is needed for operation of the deviceif the manifest is authentic, wherein the first partition isauthenticated prior to other partitions associated with game librariesand executables, and multiple games and prior to loading the operatingsystem; and for each component needed for operation of the device,loading the gaming component only if the gaming component is authentic.14. A method of authenticating a component in a gaming device-enabledgaming system, the component having a plurality of sub-components, themethod comprising: providing a physical network that connects andenables communication between gaming devices in the gamingdevice-enabled gaming system, each gaming device comprising: (i) atleast one display device; (ii) a plurality of input devices including:(a) a monetary input device of a first physical item associated with afirst monetary value; (b) a monetary output device actuatable to cause apayout associated with a credit balance; (iii) at least one gamingdevice processor; and (iv) at least one gaming device memory devicestoring one or more gaming components; determining, using the at leastone gaming device processor, if a manifest is authentic, the manifestincluding sub-component information and a stored signature for eachsub-component; organizing the gaming component into multiple partitions,a first partition associated with an operating system, and otherpartitions associated with gaming libraries and executables, andmultiple games; performing, using the at least one gaming deviceprocessor, a signature calculation on at least one sub-component if themanifest is authentic, wherein the first partition is authenticatedprior to other partitions associated with game libraries andexecutables, and multiple games and prior to loading the operatingsystem; authenticating, using the at least one gaming device processor,at least one sub-component by evaluating the sub-component signatureover the data of the sub-component; and loading the sub-component onlyif the sub-component is authentic.
 15. A gaming device-enabled gamingsystem for authenticating a component, the system comprising: a physicalnetwork that connects and enables communication between gaming devicesin the gaming device-enabled gaming system, each gaming devicecomprising: (i) at least one display device; (ii) a plurality of inputdevices including: (a) a monetary input device of a first physical itemassociated with a first monetary value; (b) a monetary output deviceactuatable to cause a payout associated with a credit balance; (iii) atleast one gaming device processor; and (iv) at least one gaming devicememory device storing one or more gaming components; a computer usablemedium having computer readable program code embodied therein, that whenexecuted by the at least one gaming device processor, authenticates agaming component, the computer readable code configured to: authenticatea manifest, the manifest including component information and a storedsignature for the gaming component, wherein the gaming component isorganized into multiple partitions, a first partition associated with anoperating system, and other partitions associated with gaming librariesand executables, and multiple games; determine if the manifest isauthenticated; perform a signature calculation on the gaming componentif the manifest is authenticated, wherein the first partition isauthenticated prior to other partitions associated with game librariesand executables, and multiple games and prior to loading the operatingsystem; authenticate the gaming component by evaluating the signatureover component data; and load the gaming component, only if the gamingcomponent is authentic.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein thecomponent is part of a device that is of a type selected from the groupconsisting of: kiosk, cashier device, plasma signage controller, DNSserver, DHCP server, database server, web server, cryptographic device,firewall, load balancer, network monitoring unit, network router,download server, certificate authority server, cashless server,progressive controller, tournament controller, display controller,networking device, Ethernet switch, network hub, cash transactionserver, third party payment server, prize redemption machine, in roomgaming device, bingo game controller, lottery game controllers, class IIgaming device, class III gaming device, lottery gaming device, amusementgaming device, arcade gaming machine, regulator monitoring device, VPNdevice; player tracking device; player marketing device, slot managementsystem, home game console, ATM banking machine, debit card reader, pointof sale system, cash register, retail scanner, RFID reader, locationsecurity monitoring/security input device, military device, vendingmachine, stock transaction server, banking server, cell phone, personaldigital assistant, laptop computing device, electronic wallet device,smart card, set-top box, monetary input/output device, biometric device,user authentication device, personal media player, software networkupdatable device, handheld scanner, currency handler/counter, lotteryticket purchase/redemption device, player bingo device, monitor,television, fax device, electronic money transfer device, USB device,Bluetooth device, fire wire capable device, wi-fi enabled device,robotic device, and handheld gaming device.
 17. A method ofauthenticating the contents of manifests on a writable media device in agaming device-enabled gaming system, the method comprising: providing aphysical network that connects and enables communication between gamingdevices in the gaming device-enabled gaming system, each gaming devicecomprising: (i) at least one display device; (ii) a plurality of inputdevices including: (a) a monetary input device of a first physical itemassociated with a first monetary value; (b) a monetary output deviceactuatable to cause a payout associated with a credit balance; (iii) atleast one gaming device processor; and (iv) at least one gaming devicememory device storing one or more gaming components; authenticating,using the at least one gaming device processor, a manifest, the manifestincluding component information and a stored signature for one or moregaming components; organizing the gaming component into multiplepartitions, a first partition associated with an operating system, andother partitions associated with gaming libraries and executables, andmultiple games; determining, using the at least one gaming deviceprocessor, if the manifest is authenticated; booting an operating systemif the manifest is authenticated; authenticating, using the at least onegaming device processor, the gaming component by evaluating thesignature across component data, wherein the first partition isauthenticated prior to other partitions associated with game librariesand executables, and multiple games and prior to loading the operatingsystem; loading the gaming component only if the gaming component isauthentic.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein a digital signature isused to authenticate the manifest.
 19. The method of claim 17, whereinthe one or more components are authenticated on an as-needed basis. 20.The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more components areauthenticated on a continuing basis during operation of a device. 21.The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more components areauthenticated each time a critical event occurs for a device.
 22. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the one or more components comprise datafiles stored in a partition of a digital storage medium, wherein thestored signature is a signature of the whole partition, and theperforming of the signature calculation comprises evaluating thesignature over the whole partition if the partition has not yet beenauthenticated during operation of the media device.
 23. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the one or more components comprise data componentsstored in a library in a digital storage medium, wherein the storedsignature is a signature of the entire library, and the step ofperforming the signature calculation comprises evaluating the signaturecalculation on the entire library if the library has not yet beenauthenticated during operation of the media device.
 24. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the one or more components comprise data files storedin one or more data blocks in a digital storage medium, wherein thestored signature is a signature of the one or more data blocks, and thestep of performing the signature calculation comprises evaluating thesignature calculation on each data block as one of the files loads on anas-needed basis.
 25. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or morecomponents comprise data files stored in one or more data sectors in adigital storage medium, wherein the stored signature is a signature ofthe one or more data sectors, and the step of performing the signaturecalculation comprises evaluating the signature calculation on each datasector as one of the files loads on an as-needed basis.
 26. A method ofauthenticating one or more files stored on a network associated storagedevice in a gaming device-enabled gaming system, the method comprising:providing a physical network that connects and enables communicationbetween gaming devices in the gaming device-enabled gaming system, eachgaming device comprising: (i) at least one display device; (ii) aplurality of input devices including: (a) a monetary input device of afirst physical item associated with a first monetary value; (b) amonetary output device actuatable to cause a payout associated with acredit balance; (iii) at least one gaming device processor; and (iv) atleast one gaming device memory device storing one or more files;determining, using the at least one gaming device processor, if amanifest is authentic, the manifest including component information anda stored signature for a file; organizing the gaming component intomultiple partitions, a first partition associated with an operatingsystem, and other partitions associated with gaming libraries andexecutables, and multiple games; reading the one or more files from thegaming device memory device over a network connection if the manifest isauthentic; authenticating, using the at least one gaming deviceprocessor, the one or more files by evaluating the signature over filedata, wherein the first partition is authenticated prior to otherpartitions associated with game libraries and executables, and multiplegames and prior to loading the operating system; and loading the one ormore files only if the one or more files are authentic.
 27. The methodof claim 26, further comprising: booting the gaming machine using aplurality of files stored on the gaming device memory device; whereinreading the file, performing the signature calculation, authenticatingthe file, and loading the file are performed for each file, as needed.28. The method of claim 27, wherein authenticating the file includesperforming a signature evaluation across the file data.
 29. The methodof claim 27, wherein gaming device memory device comprises a networkattached storage device.
 30. A method of authenticating one or morefiles stored on a diskless storage device in a gaming device-enabledgaming system, the method comprising: providing a physical network thatconnects and enables communication between gaming devices in the gamingdevice-enabled gaming system, each gaming device comprising: (i) atleast one display device; (ii) a plurality of input devices including:(a) a monetary input device of a first physical item associated with afirst monetary value; (b) a monetary output device actuatable to cause apayout associated with a credit balance; (iii) at least one gamingdevice processor; and (iv) at least one gaming device memory devicestoring one or more files; determining, using the at least one gamingdevice processor, if a manifest is authentic, the manifest includingcomponent information and a stored signature for a file; organizing thegaming component into multiple partitions, a first partition associatedwith an operating system, and other partitions associated with gaminglibraries and executables, and multiple games; reading the one or morefiles from the diskless storage device if the manifest is authentic;authenticating, using the at least one gaming device processor, the oneor more files by evaluating the signature across file data, wherein thefirst partition is authenticated prior to other partitions associatedwith game libraries and executables, and multiple games and prior toloading the operating system; and loading the one or more files only ifthe one or more files are authentic.
 31. The method of claim 28, whereinthe diskless storage device comprises a solid-state storage device. 32.The method of claim 28, wherein the solid-state storage device comprisesan erasable programmable read-only memory.
 33. The method of claim 28,wherein the solid-state storage device comprises a safe random accessmemory.